Uh, I kind of wish there was an anon option as well. Anyhoo, it’s no biggie to try out tampons when you’re not on your period. Try putting a dab of lubricant on the end of the applicator.
I found that when I first started using tampons, it was much easier for me to get the right angle if I put one foot up (on the side of the tub, on the sink).
(I don’t need to do that anymore, thank goodness!)
As someone that has used both options, I would definitely say not to give up on tampons as a lost cause - no chafing, no clotting, no weird diaper feeling, no sneaky adhesive, no worry about odor. The blood has never been an issue for me, I can’t remember the last time I actually got blood on my hand - I generally wipe the area, then insert the tampon. It is blood free! (sometimes there is some blood on the plastic applicator, I just tuck it back into the plastic wrapper it came from and pitch it). No fuss, really.
I respectfully disagree. All you SDMB women swore OB was the best thing ever so I tried it. It’s terrible to insert and, I dunno, becomes sort of shallow when in use so that if you sneeze without panties on it actually comes flying out.
I’m a Pearl Girl all the way. BTW, they come unscented, but I like the scented better.
Honestly, I think you’re not shoving it up far enough. I know I have to aim a bit downward so I can get it past my pubic bone, otherwise it’s nowhere near in far enough.
O.B.s are just apparently entirely the wrong shape for me. I don’t care how many people rave about them, I find them weird and uncomfortable. Tampax aren’t brilliant but they’ve stuck by me since puberty which was quite some years ago now. It’s not the applicator, I’ve no problem with insertion, it’s just that whacky stubby bullet shape. And yes, I did get it in far enough, thank you very much. I’m clumsy enough to wrench tampax out of the applicator and have to do it by hand on occasion, I know how to put them in.
I agree with the “ew, blood-filled diaper” sentiments up thread about pads, which I will only use overnight on the weekend as a superstitious hedge against not waking up in time to change the tampon and prevent TSS. But I know from the variance of opinion on just what makes a good tampon that there must be lots of women for whom the discomfort I feel using O.B.s is equalled by the discomfort from any tampon, so I’m sure pads work better for them.
Wow, that is all SO TMI. And I’m going to hit “Submit Reply” anyway. Whee.
Tampons, of course, have this nasty habit of expanding to several times their size. Not so bad if the flow lubricates the vagina, but many women have heavy mornings & dry up later in the day. In that scenario, yanking a full tampon when the flow’s drier feels like yanking out a soda can made of sandpaper instead of aluminum.
Pubic hair is about as optional to live with as leg hair.
Additionally, unlike with tampons, brands matter in pads. You’d be amazed at how Always thin winged pads sometimes… they work far better than those huge 1/2" thick diapers… these damn things really do pull -everything- (even the clots) through those teeny tiny holes, and you’ll stay as dry as a bone. :eek: If I were brave enough, I’d ask how Always pads work in GQ–it’s mystifying.
They have this stuff inside them. I don’t know what it’s made of, but it seems to pull the blood and junk down into the pad, where it forms a sort of weird gel stuff. I had a pad tear once and, being curious, I looked at the stuff inside.
Hmm, I see a trip to the drug store and some scientific experiments in the near future. I just need some of that non-bodily-fluid looking blue liquid they use in TV commercials.
Incidentally, I wouldn’t be embarrassed in the slightest to buy feminine hygiene products. What’s with that? Hell, no one will assume they’re for me. Maybe I’ll make a casual statement to the clerk - “Heh-heh, you probably assume I’m buying these for someone else, don’t you?”
I have just started using tampons again after many years of only using pads. I have a heavy flow, and I need to use both at the same time, or change every hour. I stopped using tampons regularly years ago when the toxic shock scare was a big deal, and I just never went back. When I was on the pill, my flow was so much lighter that a pad a few days was just easier when kids are running in and out of the bathroom, plus I normally wear skirts, so I didn’t have to worry about bulges. OB tampons were my weapon of choice in college, but since I had kids, tampons weren’t as comfortable anymore…now I use the pearl ones because I had a coupon. OB’s just don’t fit right anymore.
I used to use Always pads, but my OB/Gyn said I had some generalized irritation in the girly area, and told me that the chemicals in Always were the problem, and to stop using them. So I switched to Kotex, and the pink bits are pink again instead of red, so I’m not switching back. I really didn’t feel the irritation at the time, but now that I don’t use them, I notice the difference.
Don’t be fooled, brands do matter in tampons, too. More with regard to comfort and fit than “how much will this thing hold, anyway.” But I can tell when I’m using the wrong (i.e., not Tampax) brand of tampon. It’s like a plug, instead of the “not there” feeling I’d otherwise get. I must be shaped wrong for Playtex & OB, or something. They’ll work, but…
Insteads are the things that might accidentally come flying across the room. “Active lifestyle” hah. My only activity was “Sitting still while pressing my legs together as hard as I could.” Anything else, and that thing started moving. And no, it couldn’t go any farther up - not without surgery.
It’s the same super-absorbent crystals they use in diapers. You can also buy a can of them at the gardening store - under “water savers” or something like that. Try stirring a spoonfull into a glass of water sometime. Very cool.
My dad was a research scientist for J&J when they were developing the first ultra-absorbent products, and he gave me a bag of crystals to play with. Won first place in a science fair for a project on the most absorbent diapers and maxi-pads (none of which were J&J’s, ironically enough!)
My skin in incredibly sensitive, and I know that pads irritate me down there. The only thing is, I don’t trust tampons. I’ve been having my period for almost a decade, and I just now started using tampons in the last 3 months. I don’t worry about bulging with the pads, because I use the ultra thin ones - and smell isn’t an issue when one changes them regularly.
I still use pads because the tampons haven’t proved to be very reliable on their own. I’m putting them in right, dammit - but they keep fucking leaking, no matter what brand I use. I have a heavish flow, but not that heavy, so I don’t know what the deal is. I don’t like having to use both a pad and a tampon - so the last time around I completely ignored the box of tampons sitting under my bathroom sink.
Because of the skin irritation, I really would rather use the tampon, but they’ve been failing me and I don’t seem to have any other choice other than the pad.
Again…why I loves me my mooncup.
You can place it (well, I can place it at any rate) so that it forms a seal around the cervix, meaning I am 100% sure there will be no leaks, but everything else works like normal i.e. only the fluid that is meant to be absorbed is absorbed. It makes a difference.
You can change it every 12 hours, it’s not associated with toxic shock syndrome and if you’re not up for the chucking blood in the composter you can flush it down the toilet. No rubbish bin full of nasty stuff.
That was actually my least favourite thing about periods, the fact that you really wanted to empty that bin in the bathroom everyday, but had to wait until your period was over because throwing out 3 tampons at a time is just a sinful waste of binliners.
Back when I had Menstruation 101 in junior high school (I don’t know what it was really called, but the American women here know what I’m talking about), I think we were given Playtex tampons. Unfortunately, applicator tampons never worked for me – I swear the things were too big, and yes, that did cause an anxiety or two! :eek: I’m also old enough to remember pad which you didn’t stick to your panties – they were tied to an elastic belt you wore around your waist. When o.b. came out, I tried them and they fit, but they were still a bit uncomfortable. I wondered if it would become easier to wear a tampon once I was no longer a virgin; eventually, I found out it wasn’t. That’s why I’ve always preferred pads, especially after the modern version came out, and even more so since Always came up with theirs. I still do use tampons occaisionally for swimming and hot tubbing, but they’re not entirely comfortable.
I’m going to offer one thing that’s made inserting tampons easier, but I think it’s TMI even for this thread, so I’ll put it in a spoiler box:
I found just starting to masturbate just enough to start lubricating and changing size to make inserting a tampon easier. I’ll concede it also makes it a bit more fun!
I don’t see the need for sticking a scented object in my vagina. Frankly, if someone else is close enough to be aware of the smell and object to it, I’ll do what I can to make sure he’s not in a position to object again!
I’m also glad this is something I haven’t had to worry about for a while – for me, Depo-Provera stops menstruation!
See my post above, and if you are using Always brand pads, switch to Kotex or something else. My doctor was right! Too bad she left the state because of th tort reform stuff.
I’ve noticed that with the Always pads that have that layer that says it whicks away moisture from my skin is horrible. Sure, it whicks the blood away, but it also sticks to my skin. If I have to wear one and I pull my undies down, it’ll stick to me instead of the undies if I’m not careful. Then this leads to an almost diaper rash-like irritation because of the too-close contact.
When I need pads, it’s Kotex all the way.
And I remembered another thing: my mom always told me to never ever ever ever ever ever use tampons. Ever. So I didn’t; she instilled fear in me. Until one day I got fed up and wanted to try them. And that’s when I really noticed that before she went through (really early) menopause, she used tampons herself. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
I’m not that flexible. Years ago I was this close to calling 911 to get my Today Sponge removed. If I couldn’t reach that far at 23, think how hard it is for me at 42.